What You Need to Know About Medical Alert Services

The population of the United States is a rapidly aging
one, with the number of Americans aged 65 and older is forecast to exceed
98 million — more than double 2016’s 46 million. On the business level, this is
having massive effects on the senior living and healthcare markets, but on the
personal level, many families are struggling with how to best care for their
elderly loved ones. Sometimes, your family member or loved one may not be
infirm enough to need to go into an assisted living facility, but you may live
far away and not have the means to attend to any need that may arise. When it
comes to this situation, a medical alert service may be a happy medium between
your needs.

Understanding The
Medical Alert Function

Knowing what
to do after a car accident is crucial, especially when an elderly person is
driving with his or her medical alert device. The basic concept of a medical
alert system is some sort of easily accessible help button, generally in
the form of a neck pendant or wristband. If pressed in a crisis, the person
using the alert system will instantly be connected to someone who knows who
they are, and any outstanding health needs they may have, whether at home,
driving miles away, or anywhere else.

According to SteinLaw, a car
accident lawyer in Aventura, “Seeking help is the most important step to
take when faced with an automobile accident, but for seniors, rapid reactions
aren’t always possible if they are alone and a mobile device is out of reach.
As with slip and falls, elderly people are especially prone to suffering these
types of accidents and are more likely to be seriously injured by them.”

However, this has now become the basic level of what a
medical alert service can do. Thanks to technology advances, options like
automatic fall detection and medical monitoring are now possible facets of
certain systems, although these generally come with a higher price tag.
Mobile medical alerts also allow for protection when someone is away from the
home. Other potential features include:

Activity monitoring. Motion detectors and beacons that track movement in the home

While the discussion around medical alert functions
generally revolves around helping the elderly, these are not the only people
who can make use of such a service. Others who may need one include people of
any age who:

May have trouble speaking clearly with 911 in the event of an emergency

In some cases, the situations that call for a medical alert
service are temporary, while others are permanent. The severity of your need
may determine how much you spend.

What To Look For In A
Medical Alert Service

Price shouldn’t be the only thing that governs how much you
spend on a medical alert service. Not all options are created equal, and there
are several things to consider. For one, if you are going for a wearable
option, is it comfortable? If a device irritates the skin or is too bulky, your
loved one may be less likely to wear it, defeating the purpose.

Sometimes, the lifestyle that one leads may govern what size
or style of medical alert device is best. However, sometimes people make honest
mistakes and forget to wear them around the home, though. In this case, you may
want to invest in a system that also has wall-mounted buttons around the home.
Other things you want to look at include the battery life, durability,
waterproofing, and logistics with regard to setting the device up.

All of these areas are things you need to know right away in
order to avoid any potentially dangerous surprises later. Most of these systems
require a wireless communication with a base station when you press the button
that actually makes the call to the emergency services. Be sure to find out the
range and test it at various parts of the home to make sure there are no dead
zones.

In some cases, not every situation requires a medical
emergency, which is why some medical alert services provide multiple options,
letting a loved one call you or someone nearby if needed. Be sure to check if
it provides this functionality. Equally important is figuring out who actually
gets called when your alert signals an emergency. Does the call center
handle exclusively medical alert calls? Are they properly certified (yes, there
are certifications for monitoring stations)? Is it located in the U.S?
When lives can be on the line, you want to make sure you have the best service
possible.

In some cases, you may be able to combine medical alert
services with other needs that can provide maximum peace of mind for the people
you care about in your life. By doing your research and knowing the needs of
the person you are buying the alert system for, you can help people stay
independent while giving you the peace of mind you need.

What You Need to Know About Medical Alert Services was last modified: July 5th, 2019 by BA50 Talkers